Sword Skills
executing a Sword Skill.|250px|right]] | }} are «Sword Art Online»'s combat movements that are assisted by the system. Most Sword Skills are named in English, with exceptions being Katana and certain Martial Arts-category skills, which are named in Japanese but written in the English alphabet. Sword Skills were included in the Closed Beta of «Spell Blade Online». With the official release, several minor modifications were added. One of these changes was the addition of six elemental damage properties: , , , , , and , which supplement the usual physical damage. Another change allowed players to create their own sword skills. Sword Skills also exist within the world of «Aunkai» of «Project Alicization» but the residents living there know them as or just simply, . From an outside view, they are the combat movements that are assisted by the system, however, all residents believe that secret maneuvers are abilities granted to them by their gods. Mechanics In Sword Art Online/Spell Blade Online Within Sword Art Online and Spell Blade Online, Sword Skills are activated when a player performs the appropriate | }}, literally preparation motion, for a skill, such as raising a sword atop one's shoulder. As soon as the system recognizes the motion, the player's weapon begins to glow in a color specific to a Sword Skill. The player can then allow the system to take over and automatically complete the skill at a speed that is normally near impossible for a player to achieve and dealing much more damage than a regular sword swing. . After a skill is completed, the user is temporarily rendered rigid in a state called a | }}, literally post-technique stiffening, during which the user is made vulnerable to any counter-attacks. The higher the level of the Sword Skill used, the longer the «Post-Motion» period is. After a Sword Skill has been used, the skill enters a | }} period, which is displayed as a cooling icon at the bottom of the player's view. Until this period ends, the same Sword Skill cannot be used, however, any other learned skills that are not in a cooling period can still be used. The number of available Sword Skills and their type depends on the Weapon Skills that the player has trained. In Project Alicization Within Project Alicization, Sword Skills ared known as «Secret Maneuvers» which are hidden techniques of certain families. Instead of being separated by weapon, like in SAO and SBO, Secret Maneuvers are divided by its sword style. Most Secret Maneuvers are, in fact, carbon copies of original SAO Sword Skills. However, this doesn't hold absolutely true as there are some original Sword Skills invented by residents of Aunkai that have little to no basis in Sword Skills from SAO. A new mechanic invoked in the world of Aunkai that completely sets it apart from Sword Skills in SAO is that the number of hits in a certain Secret Maneuver is limited to the user's «Object Control Authority» and the level of «Priority» the weapon in which the Secret Maneuver is used with. Higher authorities and higher priorities allow for the usage of Secret Maneuvers with higher hit counts. Known Sword Skills One-Handed Sword Righteous Cross (Unique Skill) After a player obtains the Sacred Cross Unique Skill, they will gain access to several more one-handed sword skills that will be exclusive to them. All sword skills obtained from the Sacred Cross Unique Skill Skill has a magical damage property of 40% physical, 60% holy (with the sole exception of «Howling Octave» which has a magical damage property of 40% physical, 40% holy, and 20% fire). One-Handed Curved Sword One-Handed Mace Two-Handed Battle Axe Two-Handed Sword Two-Handed Spear Rapier Dagger Katana (Extra Skill) Battōjutsu (Unique Skill) Soaring Slash (Unique Skill) Niten Ichi-ryū (Unique Skill) Dual Blades (Unique Skill) Weapon Defense Known Sword Skills in Project Alicization Floating Castle Style (Aincrad-style) is a style separately "invented" by Emilia Rosenberg (Ayanami) and Lucas Winstanley (Kazuto) (due to Ayanami diving first and Kazuto only joining later when he heard of her condition) using their combat experience from SAO and consisting of multi-hit one-handed sword techniques. Despite having comparably less strength than two-handed sword techniques, the style compensates for this by using momentum to increase the force of one's strikes. When countering an opponent's sword, Floating Castle Style users employ a multi-hit Skill or «Skill Connect» to block it and deliver a decisive blow on the last hit. Floating Castle Style also includes «Martial Arts» skills using one's free hand, although this application is unique to Lucas as Emilia finds it "crude" to use her fists. The style has two names only because of the naming sense of the separate but concurrent "inventors" of the style. Note: All Secret Maneuvers in this style share the exact same names as the «Sword Skills» of SAO and all skills available in SAO are part of this style. Ambrose-style The swordsmanship style of the Ambroses, the most important of two ducal families subservient to the Winstanley Crown, it focuses on the "beauty of a single strike", using two-handed sword techniques to overpower opponents through brute force. The style also unconsciously makes use of «Incarnation», using one's pride as a knight to boost the strength of their sword.Volume 22, Chapter 4, Part 3 *«Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star» (SAO «Avalanche») *«Reverse Moon» (SAO «Back Rush») *«Hellmoon» (SAO «Tempest») Farrington-style The swordsmanship style of the Farringtons, the most important of the three ducal families subservient to the Rosenberg Crown, it focuses on the "beauty of a single strike" and in contrast to the Ambrose Style, makes use of one-handed sword techniques to overpower one's opponent through brute force. It is different from the Rosenberg Style which makes use of multiple strikes. The style also unconsciously makes use of Incarnation, using one's pride to boost the strength of their sword. *«Azure Wind Slash» (SAO «Slant») *«Banishment» (SAO «Radiant Arc») *«Divine Ray» (SAO «Vorpal Strike») *«Still Water» (SAO «Sonic Leap») Rosenberg-style The swordsmanship style of the Rosenbergs, the royal family of the Kingdom of Flava, it focuses on "going with the flow" using the one-handed sword. It is one of few sword styles that make use of multi-hit skills, although it has not advanced past five hits due to the constraints of weapon Priorities and Object Control Authorities. Zacharias Rosenberg, however, has managed to achieve a four-hit Secret Maneuver although this is most likely due to his use of the Divine Object, «Azure Wind Blade». *«Breaking Current» (SAO «Horizontal») *«Swirling Current» (SAO «Horizontal Arc») *«Waterfall Cloud» (SAO «Vertical») *«Swirling Waterfall Cloud» (SAO «Vertical Arc») *«Whirling Rapids» (SAO «Sharp Nail») *«Saintblade Spire» (SAO «Light Ray») *«Blue Ocean Wave» (SAO «Horizontal Square»)Volume 22, Prologue, Part 3 Volume 22, Prologue, Part 4 Winstanley-style The swordsmanship style of the Winstanleys, the royal family of the Kingdom of Maeventius, it focuses on "going with the flow" using the two-handed sword. Similar to the Rosenberg Style, it is one of few sword styles that make use of multi-hit sword skills, although it has not yet advanced past five hits due to the constraints of weapons Priorities and Object Control Authorities. *«Zodiac» (SAO «Cyclone») Notes References }} Category:Universe and Terminology Category:Terminology Category:Sword Skills Category:Game Mechanics